U.S. Army upgrades M1A2 Abrams tanks with new ARAT Abrams Reactive Armour Tile 10503171

Military Defense Industry Technology - Reactive Armour M1A2
 
U.S. Army upgrades M1A2 Abrams tanks with new ARAT Abrams Reactive Armour Tile.
U.S. tank and maintenance crews from 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, have upgraded M1A2 Abrams Sep V2 main battle tanks with new Abrams Reactive Armour Tile (ARAT) that improves the overall defensive capabilities of the tank.
     
U.S. tank and maintenance crews from 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, have upgraded M1A2 Abrams Sep V2 main battle tanks with new Abrams Reactive Armour Tile (ARAT) that improves the overall defensive capabilities of the tank.
Capt. James England, commander, Company B, 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, stands in front of an M1A2 Abrams main battle tank with newly installed Abrams reactive armor tiles (ARAT) at the 7th Army Training Command's Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Feb. 28, 2017. (Picture U.S. MoD)
     
The crews, who are part of 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, which is serving as the initial ABCT rotational force in support of Atlantic Resolve, began installing the Abrams Reactive Armor Tile (ARAT) system Feb. 28 to tank hulls and turrets of Abrams M1A2 main battle tank.

Reactive armour is a type of vehicle armour that reacts in some way to the impact of a weapon to reduce the damage done to the vehicle being protected. An element of explosive reactive armour consists of a sheet or slab of high explosive sandwiched between two plates, typically metal, called the reactive or dynamic elements. On attack by a penetrating weapon, the explosive detonates, forcibly driving the metal plates apart to damage the penetrator. . It is most effective in protecting against shaped charges and specially hardened kinetic energy penetrators.

“The ARAT adds extra layers of protection to the tank and the crew members,” said 1st Sgt. Ryan Dilling, senior noncommissioned officer of Company B (“Battle”), the first unit to install the tiles. “They are placed on both sides of the hull and turret. The reactive tiles prevent penetration of various weapon systems, such as RPG (rocket-propelled grenades).”

Beefing up U.S. armor also serves as a greater deterrent to acts of aggression against North Atlantic Treaty Organization nations as the 3/4 ABCT rolls out stronger tanks to conduct training with allies throughout central and eastern Europe, Dilling said.

The addition of the angled tiles to 1st Bn., 66th Armor Regt., tanks has been a cooperative effort with Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM), said Maj. David Campbell, battalion operations officer.

Capt. James England, Battle Co. commander, said the ARAT adds protection while not inhibiting tank speeds.
“The ARAT looks like a good package. In our current operating environment, should we have to engage a near-peer threat, we have to retain that mobility.”
     
U.S. tank and maintenance crews from 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, have upgraded M1A2 Abrams Sep V2 main battle tanks with new Abrams Reactive Armour Tile (ARAT) that improves the overall defensive capabilities of the tank.
Tank and maintenance crews with 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 3rd
Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, install M1A2SepV2 Abrams reactive armor tiles (ARAT) at the 7th Army Training Command's Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Feb. 28, 2017.